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Is Race a Determinant of Student Performance in Economics?

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The Review of Black Political Economy

Abstract

While several authors have examined gender as a determinant of student performance in introductory economics, few have considered race as a contributing factor. In this study, data collected on over 5,000 students enrolled at the University of Texas at Austin indicate that on average minority students earn significantly lower grades than non-minority students. A probit model is developed to control for a set of variables that measure or proxy student characteristics, academic maturity, previous coursework, and relative high school quality. Race remains statistically significant. A decomposition framework, commonly used in labor economics to study wage gaps, is adapted to predict success in economics classes based on mean variable characteristics. Details on the probabilities of earning specific grades are obtained through development of an ordered logit model and decomposition techniques. Results of these analyses indicate significant and unexplained differences in average grades earned by minority students, relative to non-minority students.

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Notes

  1. In this study, the term “minority” refers those groups that are traditionally under-represented in academia as a proportion of the population. Minorities include U.S. citizens and permanent residents who self-identify as African American, Hispanic or Native American. Non-minorities include International students or U.S. citizens and permanent residents who self-identify as White or Asian American. Data from the 1990 Census, Equal Employment Opportunity File, indicate five percent of economics teachers in U.S. Post-Secondary Institutions are African American and Hispanic (none are Native American), while these groups represented over 21% of the U.S. population. Asian Americans constitute less than three percent of the U.S. population and over 7% of economics teachers in higher education.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Business, Eastern New Mexico University, Portales, NM, 88130, USA

    Sue K. Stockly

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  1. Sue K. Stockly
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Correspondence to Sue K. Stockly.

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Stockly, S.K. Is Race a Determinant of Student Performance in Economics?. Rev Black Polit Econ 36, 181–195 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12114-009-9046-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12114-009-9046-2

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